On tap @ Alpine Brewpub, Alpine - CA. Color: hazy brown beer with no carbonation and medium brown head. Smell: high sugar and caramel nose with fruity presence as orange and candied orange. Notes of Grand Marnier. Great bouquet on nose, and small alcohol finish. Taste: very deep oily sensation on mouth, great caramel and sweet presence. Notes of orange and candied orange. Finish as Grand Marnier. Aftertaste: orange and alcohol finish with high sugar domination. Really nice and sweet beer easy to drink when you compare to the ABV. A must to try but take care it’s a dynamite!!!!

On cask at O’Briens. Drank this while watching the Chargers choke it big time (again) in the AFC divisional playoff game 2010. I heard about this beer a long time ago, and I never had the chanced to try it at the brewery. Opaque bronze color, some light creamy head. Some chunks of yeast floating around from cask conditioning. Mellow aroma, with lots of grass and hops. Nice smooth tones of caramel malt show through. Nice balanced flavor, nothing to spectacular though. Medium bitterness, full coating body. Surprisingly easy to drink despite the high ABV!

This beer was sampled at the San Diego Strong Ale Festival 2004. This beer poured a slightly cloudy but definitely orangey color with a think white soapy head and an active degree of carbonation. Moderate lacing would be seen out of this beer. The aroma was very nice with a slight hint of alcohol, malt, brown sugar and other sweetnesses. The flavor progressed into a full bodied, oily mouthfeel which was full of brown sugars, malts, oak with a bittering hoppy finish, but not overly dry. It began to give off a strong citrusy flavor right toward the finish as it warmed, but it only added to the sweetness of the beer. Well rounded and good balance...could do well when aged..very little presence of the 17% so this is VERY scary!

On cask at Obriens. Pours a dark orange hue with thin ring of dissipating white head, fairly cloudy. Nose is strong sweet malts, dark fruits, alcohol warmth, lighter fruits and hops in the background. Flavor is young and a bit hot, sweet bread malts soaked in alcohol with hints of vanilla and wood hit the palate quickly leaving behind a stingy sensation of dark fruits coupled with apple a pearlike esters, moderate bitterness with a light citrus flavor fills out the sweet finish. Medium-full bodied, watery slick texture with minimal carbonation. This BA b-wine definitely needs more time in the barrrel, fusels are too hot and texture too thin, try again down the road.

On tap at O’Briens on a Friday. Dark brownish hues with a slight off white head. Full smooth body. Flavors abound with sweet dark malt and dried fruit. Toffee, caramel, and some vanilla. A bit of hop bite lurking in the back. Nice barley wine.

Draft @ Pizza Port Strong Ale Fest 2004. Excellent beer. Dark amber brew that has unbelievable balance. Good hop presence but not overbearing. Full mouthfeel, malty with just the faintest hint of bitter orange in the background. Highlight of the fest for me.

On tap at Alpine Beer Co. Poured a nice orange color with little head. Smells of toffee and burnt sugar. Tastes of caramel, toffee, some dried fruits and a nice balance of hoppiness in the end. This is Good, but when it emerges from the barrels it becomes Great. The Great has much more sweetness and less hoppiness and tons of bourbon flavor.

On cask at O’Briens in SD. Wow one of the best barleywines I have had, tastes like butterscotch. Pours a dark amber, very viscous. Thick mouth feel with little carbo. Taste of dark fruits, caramel malts and leaves a nice hoppy bitterness on the pallet.

UPDATED: DEC 5, 2004 Enjoyed at Pizza Port’s Strong Ale festival. Too dark to get a good look at the color. Everything looked dark amber. Overall this beer had some pretty interesting characteristics. Guess what, the alcohol was definitely up front in the flavor. Slightly acidic and sharp on the tongue with a nice amount of hops. I wouldn’t have guessed it was 17%, but then again I would not expect a beer to be above 10% normally. This beer is better than "good," it’s very good. It needs a little more complexity for great though. I hope I have a chance to try this again sometime. Somewhat of a novelty.

Join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community.
Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings.
Click here to create your account... and give your opinion!